Battle of Borodino

The Battle of Borodino (7 September 1812) was a major battle of the Napoleonic Wars that occurred during the French invasion of Russia. Napoleon I's 190,000-strong French army advanced on the Russian capital of Moscow, but his army was blocked by a 160,000-strong Russian army under Mikhail Kutuzov. The Russian general Kutuzov employed genius fortification tactics such as the Bagration fleches, which incurred heavy losses on the French forces as they assaulted the Russian positions. The French would win the battle after they captured the Raevsky Redoubt, and Pyotr Bagration was mortally wounded while commanding the Russian defenders. The French made the mistake of not pursuing Kutuzov's retreating army, with the failure to commit the Imperial guard to battle being regarded as a major tactical error. The battle cost the French 35,000 men and the Russians 45,000 men, and the Russians burnt their capital of Moscow to the ground to deny the French winter quarters. Although the French won at Borodino, they lacked the decisive victory that they had sorely needed, and the Grande Armee would be forced to withdraw due to Russia's refusal to surrender.